VEGETARIAN KAMJA SOOJAEBI (KOREAN POTATO & DUMPLING SOUP)

Korean potato and dumpling soup is a traditional Korean soup that is really simple, cost-efficient, hearty and delicious. Traditionally, the stock is made with anchovies and sometimes oysters are added to the mix. My version is vegetarian, not vegan. I made this tonight for my boyfriend who is a vegetarian, and for myself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I encourage you to do your own measurements and improvise as you go along, as I believe that spontaneity lends the best results, and besides, I don't like to do things by the book anyway. ;)

Ingredients

as many garlic cloves as you want in your soup stock... I used a ton of cloves because I love garlic!

scallions

two Yukon potatoes, diced

white pepper

sea salt

Tamari soy sauce

Sambal Oelek chili paste

one large carrot, julienned or cut however you prefer.

two zucchinis, julienned or whatever.

sliced white onion

firm tofu

olive oil

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Preparation

For the dumplings, use about 1 cup of water per 2 cups of flour. In a mixing bowl, mix your 4c of flour with 2c water. once you get a mixture going, transfer that to a cutting board that is sprinkled with flour and continue to knead the dough. The texture should be somewhat viscous, not too watery and not too gummy either. once it's nice and kneaded wrap in plastic and set it aside.
In a big pot boil some water, add your two whole white onions, the many garlic cloves, chopped scallions and white pepper and sea salt to taste. Let that boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes or so. I poured the stock through a collander to separate the vegetables from the broth.
While you're doing this, you can slice up some firm tofu in medium-sized cubes and fry them in a pan in olive oil. My boyfriend likes his somewhat crispy, so I used a lot of oil and let them sit in the pan for a while.
Now that you have your soup base you can add your veggies. I started with the potatoes first, so they'd have time to cook. I added the carrots and the zucchini and onions. I wanted my zucchini to remain fairly green but I made the mistake of adding them too early in the process. Add the fried tofu. Add more sea salt to taste if you wish, add a few tbsp. of the chili paste (or less, if you're wimpy) for some heat. Add as many splashes of soy sauce as you see fit. Let everything simmer. Let the potatoes cook and the vegetables absorb all the flavor.
Once your potatoes are cooked, whisk three eggs well in a separate bowl and add the mixture to the soup, whisking it as the egg mixture is pouring. Once those are cooked, you can add some chopped scallion.
Lastly, take your dough and tear them off into small balls, trying to get them as flat as possible. Drop them into the boiling soup, and when they rise to the top they're generally done.
Let everything simmer for a little while longer, adding more spices as you see fit. once it is finished, serve and enjoy.